The moment Lester's voice rang out, the entire room instantly darkened, the surrounding walls distorted, and shadows surged out and swirled around him, as if he had suddenly arrived in the underworld.
"Sigh... I knew you wouldn't be so kind as to let us leave!" Luo Chen sighed, then said to Catherine, " Catherine, you go first, I'll handle things here!"
Catherine, knowing the gravity of the situation and understanding Luo Chen's strength, did not refuse. She nodded, took Kamera, and turned to run outside.
"Hehehe, where are you planning to go?! I've already told you this is my territory, you'll have to ask me for permission to leave first!!" Seeing that Catherine was planning to escape with the hostages, Lester's gloomy eyes narrowed, and then he shouted, a shadow darting out from his body, attacking the two like a swiftly moving venomous snake.
"Shadow... Roaming Snake!!"
brush...
Just as the shadowy black serpent was about to bite Catherine and her companion, a Shadow Flash, a blood-red sword light swept across, and the black serpent instantly vanished into dust.
"Hmm?! It seems killing them in front of you won't be easy!" Lester looked at him in surprise, then shook his head slightly and said.
"Kill them?! Instead of thinking about that, I should think about my own safety first, Flying Slash!!" Luo Chen chuckled, then swung his sword.
Clang!!
The crimson Flying Slash flew past in an arc.
"I've already said, this is my territory, and all attacks are ineffective against me!!" Lester didn't dodge, letting the Flying Slash strike him.
Clang!!
boom...
The Flying Slash slashed through the air, cleaving Lester's body in two, and shattering the cell behind him.
Wow...
Just when Luo Chen thought it had worked, the next second, Lester's body healed completely, without leaving a single scar.
"This..." Seeing this, Luo Chen was somewhat surprised. Although he hadn't used his full strength in that move, he had still slightly enhanced it with Armament Haki, but he hadn't expected it to have no effect on him.
"Hehehehe, you've finished your move and given it to me... Shadow Strangle!!" Lester chuckled, then raised his hand again, shouting out the name of the move, and shadows stretched out from beneath his feet.
brush...
Sensing danger, Luo Chen pushed off with his heels and retreated. Two dark figures followed closely, transforming into a pair of large scissors that twisted around him.
boom!!
The ground, as crisp and soft as tofu, was cut straight in half.
"Hmm?! Not bad, but..." Lester said, his fingers twirling, the scissors scattering and then transforming into spears that shot out from the ground one after another.
Clang... Clang... Clang...
Luo Chen did not grant his wish. He lightly tapped his heel, his body moving swiftly to the side, sending shards of stone flying. Shadow spears shot out continuously, leaving craters in the ground, but failed to pierce even a hair on Luo Chen's head.
call out...
Despite the risk of being attacked, Luo Chen charged directly at Lester, his toes barely touching the ground as he sped off.
"Hehehe, how could I possibly go head-to-head with you?!" A mocking look appeared on Lester's face, and then a two-meter-tall shadow shot out from the ground and blocked his way.
Thump...
The fist, imbued with Armament Haki, slammed down without making a sound, causing Catherine to look on in confusion. She then saw that Luo Chen's fist, along with his entire arm and his whole body, was being pulled into that swamp-like shadow.
" Luo Chen..." Upon seeing this, Catherine couldn't help but shout anxiously.
"Damn it, what is this thing!?" No matter how hard Luo Chen tried to pull it out, he couldn't break free, and his body was involuntarily pulled inside.
"Hehehehe, come in here!!" Lester chuckled, then clasped his hands together, and the shadow suddenly opened wide like a giant mouth, swallowing him whole.
"Oh no... Kamera, stay here and don't move! I need to go save that brother first!!" Catherine hurriedly told Kamera, then swung the Sword in the Stone at Lester.
"Hehehehe, even you're coming in? Shadow... Mouth of Taotie!!" With that, the shadow beneath her feet reappeared, opening its massive jaws as if to bite Catherine.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Catherine's face remained untouched by any color, and her lips parted slightly. " Eight Virtues..."
Clang!!
Before she could make a move, the gluttonous Colossal Beast suddenly swelled up, spraying out wisps of blood-red sword energy.
"What... what's going on?!" The Colossal Beast's master, Lester, was completely bewildered. He only saw the body of the Gluttonous Colossal Beast he had unleashed expand like Balloon. Then, with a loud bang, the entire Colossal Beast exploded, and pieces of shadowy flesh scattered down.
clatter...
"You... aren't you underestimating me?!" Luo Chen emerged from the crimson mist, gripping his sword and pointing it at Lester, a hint of disdain in his eyes, and calmly said.
"Damn it, I really underestimated how easy it was to deal with him..." Now, how could Lester not understand that the man was never so easy to deal with from the start? He had simply overestimated the situation.
After a moment's thought, Lester quickly dismissed the thought, his face contorted with rage as he snarled, "Hehehehe, even so, I still have a trump card. I won't lose to you so easily. You'll all be buried here forever!!"
"Oh?! Bring on whatever tricks you have up your sleeve. We don't have time to waste here with you." Luo Chen didn't care about his words, flicked his sword, and spoke arrogantly.
"How dare you look down on me like that? Then let me show you my ultimate technique!!" Seeing that his opponent didn't take him seriously at all, Lester's face became even more ferocious, his anger rising. He then clasped his hands together and said, "Ultimate Technique... Shadow... Great Black Coffin!!"
Rumble...
The moment Lester spoke, the entire castle shook violently, and wisps of black silk began to emanate from his body, causing the ground where they were standing to sway incessantly.
"Eek..." Even Catherine was startled by this change, and immediately pulled Kamera into her arms to protect him, while simultaneously slashing forward with her sword.
Clang!!
Flying Slash energy cleaved through the shadows, revealing a clear path. Catherine immediately warned Luo Chen, " Luo Chen, don't get entangled with him any longer! Let's get out of here quickly!"
Catherine, carrying Kamera, ran ahead first, turning back to remind him at the same time.
"No, you guys go first. Letting our opponent go like this isn't in my nature!" Luo Chen shook his head and refused her suggestion.
"Well... alright, you'd better hurry up and come with me!!" Catherine knew very well that once Luo Chen made a decision, no amount of persuasion could change his mind, so she took Kamera and ran out of there first.
After unleashing his ultimate technique, Lester disappeared into the shadows, impossible to find, but his chilling, sinister laughter filled the entire castle.
"Hehehehe, you're still not thinking of running for your life while inside my territory, clinging to those unrealistic fantasies? How laughable! In that case, die!!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the castle distorted, the light dimmed, and the entire basement seemed to collapse and press down on the group as if the heavens and earth were falling.
As he spoke, another blood-red longsword materialized in his left hand. He sneered at Lester, who was watching them from some unknown depths, "Mere tricks, yet you dare to be so aggressive!? Shura... Ten Thousand Blade Slash!!"
With that, he swiftly flicked his wrist, unleashing bursts of crimson sword energy that slashed out in all directions.
Clang!!
Clang!!
Clang!!
The entire castle, or rather the entire Shadow Space, was filled with sword energy, and the Shadow Space, which seemed to want to bury them like a black coffin, suddenly swelled up.
"Hehehehe, it's useless. No matter how much you use, my Shadow Space can withstand it. Just obediently bury me here!!"
Click click...
After the laughter subsided, the black coffin returned to its original shape and continued to shrink.
"Can it withstand it?!" Luo Chen didn't believe him. Just now, after his attack, he almost broke through this space, but he couldn't destroy it in one go because of insufficient power. And he dares to say that it can't be broken?!
"Since that's the case, then let you take as many as you want, Shura... Super Tornado Storm!!"
boom!!
Countless sword energies slashed out from under the sword, merging into a Giant tornado that swept across the entire area.
boom!!
"Damn it..." Lester hadn't expected Luo Chen to come up with a solution so quickly. With his current strength, he was not strong enough to confront Luo Chen head-on, so he could only pin his hopes on this and gritted his teeth as he enhanced the barrier of the Shadow Space.
Wow...
The storm intensified and expanded, causing the entire black coffin to be pushed up again, looking as if it could collapse at any moment.
"Damn it, block it for me!!" With a large amount of stamina depleted, the black coffin's defenses strengthened once again, withstanding Luo Chen's attack.
Wow...
As the storm subsided, the black coffin began to heal.
"Heh, want to use the same trick again? Then let me give you a few more hits... Shura... Ten Thousand Blade Slash!!"
" Shura... Super Tornado Storm!!"
" Shura... Crescent Moon!!"
Clang!! Clang!! Clang!!
He unleashed three powerful attacks in quick succession, slashing out in different directions.
boom...
Despite Lester's relentless attacks, the Black Coffin managed to hold on, and the two sides reached a stalemate.
Click click...
Even so, the black coffin was still unable to withstand the simultaneous attack of the three powerful moves, and cracks gradually appeared on the boundary wall, which continued to spread.
"Hey, hey, Lester, you promised me you could successfully trap them, how come you couldn't hold on so quickly?!" In the monitoring room, the mastermind of this operation, who was also the intelligence chief planted by the government on Casting Island, Hups, couldn't help but speak angrily when he saw this scene.
"Shut up, I'll trap them, I promise!!" Just then, after hearing his curses, Lester's voice quickly rang out in the monitoring room, replying to him.
"Hmph, you dare say you can trap them like this?! You really disappoint me. I didn't spend so much money to come here to watch a monkey show!!" Unfortunately, as the highest-ranking official on Casting Island, Hups was not afraid. In his eyes, the other party was nothing more than a lowly hired commoner. How dare he speak to him like that? Was he courting death?
"Hmph, just keep an eye on things, it'll be over soon..." After saying this, Lester's voice fell silent, and he turned his attention back to Luo Chen in the black coffin.
"If I can kill you, my name will be known throughout the world. So for the glorious future of my Shadow Lester, die here... Black Coffin... The Grand Funeral!!"
Snap!!
Lester the beads of sweat dripping from his forehead as he laughed, Lust gritted his teeth, his already pale face growing even paler with exhaustion, and clapped his hands together.
Rumble...
"Is it finally time to fight to the death?" Seeing the opponent's attack this time, they directly crushed the Flying Slash that Luo Chen had unleashed, and their speed of retreat increased, shrinking the entire room to the size of only three people standing there.
"Since that's the case, I'll put in more effort too!!" After saying that, Luo Chen closed his eyelids, his breathing calmed down, and his aura slowly rose.
"Hehehe, just... die!!" As the space continued to close, Lester could almost imagine the miserable state of his opponent after being directly crushed. The corners of his mouth turned up high, and he laughed even more triumphantly.
Buzz...
However, just as the Shadow Space was about to close, Luo Chen's previously closed eyes suddenly snapped open, his aura surging forth. He opened and closed his mouth, shouting, " Shura... Red Dragon Roar Howl!!"
Chant~
boom!!
A long, melodious Dragon Roar, seemingly transported from the age of mythology, resounded throughout the four directions. Immediately afterward, a colossal Eastern Giant Dragon, its body shrouded in blood mist and its scales adorned with perfect, divine embellishments, soared into the sky and roared as it charged toward the black coffin.
Bang!!!
Pfft~
This attack nearly exhausted all of Lester's strength, but unexpectedly, he was countered at the last moment. The Giant Dragon broke through the black coffin and disappeared into the sky. With the destruction of the black coffin, Lester also coughed up a mouthful of blood, unable to support his Shadow Space any longer. Instantly, all the anomalies disappeared, the shadow completely dissipated, and the castle returned to its original state. A few bright rays of light came from the basement shrouded in shadow, and the sky finally cleared. So everything ended completely with Lester's collapse.
Luo Chen glanced at Lester lying on the ground, then sheathed his sword, turned and left, ignoring his "defeated opponent" on the ground.
"Is it resolved?" Outside the castle, Catherine clearly sensed the eerie atmosphere surrounding the castle dissipate. Knowing the battle was over, she immediately approached Luo Chen to confirm as he emerged.
"Yeah, it's over. That guy's too exhausted to cause any more trouble!" Luo Chen nodded in reply.
"Hmm..." Catherine didn't ask him why he didn't just kill the man, because she trusted him and wouldn't voice her doubts.
"Let's go, I'm sure Master Wieland is getting impatient waiting for his grandson!"
"Grandpa!!" Upon hearing Luo Chen's words, Kamera, who was holding Catherine's hand next to her, suddenly looked up and whispered.
"Oh, it seems you miss your grandfather too, Kamera!"
"Mmm!!" she replied, tilting her head back with her big, innocent eyes filled with a slightly dazed look.
"Alright, let's go back now and see your grandfather!" Seeing this, Luo Chen reached out and patted his head, speaking softly.
"Okay!!" Kamera nodded obediently in response.
The three of them did not turn back and walked towards Wieland's residence in the back mountain.
clatter...
"What a sorry sight. You called yourself the strongest mercenary, but you couldn't even hold someone captive. I'm not giving you a single penny of your commission this time..." In the basement, after Luo Chen and the other two had walked away, Hups breathed a sigh of relief. He then left the monitoring room and walked over. Seeing Lust lying on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling, seemingly lost in Lester, he sneered.
Even mentioning the commission non-payment didn't seem to move the other party; Lester remained staring unblinkingly at the ceiling, offering no reply.
"Hmph, get out of here now that your injuries have healed. I don't have time to deal with a piece of trash who can't even handle something this simple. You don't need to worry about the Luo Chen Pirates anymore. I've already contacted my superiors, and Admiral Fujitora from headquarters will be here soon. I... I don't need you anymore!!" With that, Hups turned and left, no longer caring about Lester's life or death.
The Wieland Sword Forge in the back hills...
"Grandpa!!" As soon as Luo Chen and Catherine led Kamera up the hill, they saw the old man gazing into the distance with a worried expression. Kamera rushed over, threw herself into his arms, and cried out.
"You're finally back, Kamera! I was so worried about you! Are you alright?!" Wieland gently patted his back and asked softly.
"Yes, thanks to my older brother and sister, Kamera came back safe and sound!" Kamera shook her head in his arms and replied.
"Okay, Grandpa understands. Come down first, Grandpa needs to talk to your older brother and sister about something." Wieland patted his back, gesturing for him to step aside.
After Kamera stepped down from his arms, Wieland glanced at the two of them, then turned and walked toward the sword-making workshop, replying as he did so.
"You two, come with me!" Clearly, Wieland was very satisfied with rescuing his grandson, and he readily accepted the condition of reforging the Rain Burial. He led the two into his sword-making workshop.